If life has taught me anything it’s that the destination is rarely as significant as the journey, and certainly not as enriching without it.
I mean have you ever set yourself a personal goal only to have someone else fast-track your way to exactly where you wanted to be? It can be an incredibly jarring and rather deflating process.
This is certainly the experience that many people have described with suction-based sex toys, for example – which I find to be awesome, and which many find great success with, but with some find downright rob them of a natural masturbation experience. For some the orgasm comes swiftly but that sensation without the effort – without the journey that they forge – is just downright…unsettling.
So when I unwrapped the cardboard box that the newly launched Lelo Sona Cruise came in and saw a product that looked exactly like so many of the suction-based sex toys I’ve tested (and, to be fair, enjoyed) as of late my heart sunk. Yes, it was great to see Lelo striking into their own efforts in this regard, but I knew almost exactly what I’d have to say and, also, what the downsides of the toy would be for many.
But, oh no, this is not a suction-based sex toy.
Lelo threw a curve-ball my way.
And I absolutely adore it.
The Lelo Sona Cruise
The Lelo Sona Cruise (and, for that matter, the also newly released Lelo Sona) are sex toys that cup the clitoris, like many suction-based toys, and can be easily and comfortably help in the hand, again, like suction-based toys. But this toy works on a sonic level, not through suction and not through vibrations.
For anyone who was around for the invention of the Revel SOL, it’s using a very similar technology but with a design that is much more practical, but more on that later.
What is sonic stimulation?
Keeping it at surface level (unlike the Sona Cruise itself, which can go very, very deep) sonic waves are essentially a continual up-and-down motion that allows for a sort of thumping sensation when applied against the body. This rapid thuddering sensation acts to give multiple rapid points of gentle impact which elicits a profound sensation when applied to the clitoris.
The best way I can think to describe it is that it feels like a tiny little critter with slippers rapidly tip-tapping over the surface of a clitoris. A mixture between a riverdance and one of those rapid karate-chop massages that you see on TV.
All of this sounds rather violent but it feels incredibly pleasurable and very distinct from both conventional vibrations and suction based sex toys. Up until now the SOL is probably the only toy that I’ve seen use this sensation to strong effect, but its cylindrical shape made it incredibly cumbersome and left no room for navigating other toys.
The Sona Cruise, on the other hand is 9.9 x 8.8 x 5.6 cm in terms of measurements and is shaped much like a suction-based toy. This not only gives a wonderful amount of room to use an internal toy (or a partner) alongside the Sona Cruise, but also allows it to cup the clitoris, providing a much more concentrated and well-contained experience.
Granted, the con of this is that if you want to brush the side of the clitoris then you need to lose some of the distance between you and the ideal area of use but, overall the firm circular enclosure that the Sona Cruise provides is greatly appreciated, and I really do mean this.
My orgasms with the Sona Cruise are the profound, prolonged, audibly moan-inducing ones that I mentioned at the start of a recent article. They make me squirm in the best of ways. They send my clitoris pounding and pulsing right alongside their own thudding rhythm, and they have my vaginal muscles clenching with such gusto that any toy inserted is bound to hit the G-Spot rapidly, creating an even more enhanced and potent orgasm that is hard to back away from.
In terms of my personal instinct, I like to pull away and back off of a toys potency when the point or orgasm hits, and rhythmically grind against a toy during use and here is where other sonic toys have tripped in the past.
Because sonic toys are essentially pattering up and down, when pressure is applied they tend to stop, but the Sona Cruise is named as such due to its ‘Cruise Control’ technology. This essentially notices when additional pressure is being applied and adjusts the strength of the Sona Cruise’s sensations accordingly, meaning that it very rarely stops (read never during use in my experience) and allowing you to, as its name alludes to, enjoy the experience at your cruising pace.
This is both a good and bad thing.
As I said, I’m a sensitive gal when it comes to non-conventional clitoral sensation at times, and I pull away when reaching climax. But while grinding against a toy I do at least like the power I’m confronting to be consistent and the Sona Cruise’s technology does mean that sometimes the Sona Cruise will ramp up the intensity at moments I’m not expecting or to a potency that I just cannot deal with. At this point I then have to pull away entirely and let the Sona Cruise re-calibrate, which can be irritating when it occurs.
On the whole, though, I do see the usefulness of the feature and think that it works quite well overall.
In terms of settings, the Sona Cruise has 8 different settings and patterns to play around with, though I personally prefer the consistent mode. These settings are controlled by a 3-button panel which is intuitive to use and didn’t cause me any trouble (or result in any accidental presses).
The Sona Cruise is USB rechargeable and comes with a storage bag, lubricant, and a guarantee. It’s completely waterproof, which makes it very easy to clean, and is made largely from silicone with a smooth ABS plastic backing. I find this to be tacky, but it is mostly perceived as luxurious, apparently, and is, one way or another, very in keeping with Lelo’s signature line.
Because this toy is silicone, it’s non-porous, hypoallergenic, phthalate-free, and completely body-safe. This makes it an absolute breeze to clean and means that, with proper care and a recharge routine, it could serve you well for many years to come. And, if your experience is anything like mine, it will.
Final Thoughts
The divisive nature of the cruise control mode and the firmness of this toy are probably its main detracting points but, outside of that, I really can’t fault the Sona Cruise. In fact, I rank this toy and its orgasms incredibly highly and I am so grateful to see a sonic toy that is incredibly easy to use and comfortable when placed against the body.
Sonic sensations are hard to pin down, and it’s hard to say if you’ll like them or not ahead of actually trying them yourself, but I do think they’re worth a try, and the Sona Cruise is the best sonic wave toy on the market to date. I highly recommend it.
